Composition of sugar and method of preparing the same



UNITE-D STATESTPATENT orrlca.

nsrnamnr. c. rowmn, an, or SOMERVILLE, msssscnusnrrs; rmnm i. rowan ADMINIBTRATBIZ OF SAID NATHANIEL C. FOWLER, .78., DECEASED.

coirrosrrroiv or seen AND METHOD or rnnrmme THE sum.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

No Drawing. Application iiled August 8, 1916, Serial No. 113,763. Renewed April 16, 1918. Serial No. 228,989. I

- To all whom it may concem:

Be it known that I, NATHANIEL O. FOWLER, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at Somerville, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts-have invented new and useful Improvements in Compositions of Sugar and Methods of Preparing the Same, fication.

This invention relates to an improved sugar product and to the process of making of which the following is a specithesame. More particularly it relates to a new composition of fruit with sugar. It is an object of the invention to produce a prodnot having the general characteristics of sugar plus those of some particular kind or klnds of fruit. So far as I am aware no fruit has ever been put into confectionery except in a whole or chopped state or except in so far as fruit which hasbeen preserved with sugar is used in a whole or chopped state. It is an object of the present invention to provide a sugar product in which the flavor and food characteristics of fruit are present, the product itself having the general characteristic of sugar and being capable-of use either in cookery or in confectionery making, or for eating without further preparation, as sugar is used. More particularly, the new product may be either in solid or liquid form, and if solid may be 1n large or small pieces, the fruit within it tially dried, but the process is not limited to such, as freshfigs, dates, grapes, etc., may be used. However the process is executed with greater facility if the fruit has already been subjected to a partial drying process, so that its natural juices have been converted or have disappeared by evaporation; and if any other fresh fruit such as peaches or apples is used it is desirable to desiocate it by some suitable process, as by cutting into slices and then subjecting to heat and evaporation, either a vacuum process or otherwise. Fruits such as oranges and grape fruit which somewhat and sugar can be dried somewhat when treated with sugar can also be used. The fruit thus partla lly dried is then comminuted. After this 1t is subjected to a get it into suitable condition for bemg ground very fine. During the drying process or otherwise the fruit may be sub'ected to a temperature sufficient to cook it, ut it Is generally preferable not to cook it, so that or manly the drying should be carried out Fahrenheit. the characpreserved than when at a temperature below 180 The advantage of this is that teristic flavor is better the fruit is cooked.

Some partially dried fruit, such as figs, dates, prunes, etc., is ready immediately to be cut up fine, after removal of any seeds or other matter which is not desired in the finished product. i

Fresh fruit is ready after it has been desiccated, and fruit which has been already dried with sugar as a preservative can be used without further preparation, whenever, in either case, a sufliciently solid consistency of the fruit has been reached with retention of such parts of the juice, pulp, etc., as do. not pass off by evaporation. Thematerial thus ready is then to be finely comminuted,

for which a-machine of the type of the well known meat choppers maybe used, the material being passed through repeatedly until It is cut fine enough. In-the case of raisins this step in the processis carried out more easily in the presence of powdered sugar; but, in general, this comminution may be carried out either with the fruit alone, or w1th added sugar. Preferably the fruit to be comminuted is first mixed with a suitable proportion of powdered sugar, and these two are passed through the machine toether, producing a thorough inter-mixture.

he use of previously ground sugar at this stage permits the process to be carried out with less requirement of power and with greater thoroughness. The fruit mixture should be further-dried after the fruit has been cut into very smhll pieces. Before this drying the more or less sticky mass should however be broken up into small masses,-o f the size of peas or less, an operation which may be performed by a suitable breaker or picker. If suificient dry sugar be added or be present this can be.

more thorough drying, to

- to the mass,

- fine. If ground with sugar, more vmay be done successfully. Then it is dried, either in vacuum or in air that is not too warm. This roduces .either the finished product, or a ase from which the finished product can be made by addition of more sugar.

The fruit at this time consists mainly of the broken down fibrous or cellular structure of thefrut, lus the fruit sugar and other derivatives of the original contents of the fruit, with such changes as have occurred therein in the dr ing. he mixture of this fruit with adde sugar of difierent .origin is therefore largel an admixture of one kind of sugar wit another. Such fragments of the cellular or woody structure as remain may give some characteristic color which will. ordinaril tained for the finished product. base can be se 'arated, if desired, by heating the mass or ot erwise liquefying it, and then passing it through a strainer. However, such minute parts of the cellular structure as remain with their fruit sugar contents, are preferably left incorporated, as also 1s such other residue of the original fruit as. remains. p The foregoing assumes that the fruit is mixed with previously pulverized sugar before its comminution, for which purpose the proportion of added sugar in the whole mass that is ground may range as high as twothirds. Most fruits (one exception being raisins) may however be comminuted an dried and ground alone, and afterward added to the sugar. In that case they may he added to sugar which is in liquid form, or to'any kind of syrup. For the better drying of such fruits as raisins, dry sugar should be added, and water also may be added, being subsequently evaporated with moisture which originates in the fruit, after serving its purpose of helpin extract sugar from the fruit cells, and elping to soften or weaken them, so that they dry out their contents more readily.

When dry the fruit can be ground very sugar may be added after the grinding. Or, sugar may be added for the grinding, an operation which is facilitated by the presence of dry sugar, in which case-it may be added in desired proportion and thoroughly mixed. J

Uonsidered as a commercial product it desirable to prepare and sell the product in rather concentrated form having a relatively high proportion of fru1t.- The user can by addingl sugar have "practically any desired strengt of fruit in hlS ultimate product, blending it according to taste. The presence of the sugar with the fruit rovides abundantly for the preservation o the fruit without separate sterilization. The product can be used for making confectionery by the addition of milk or water,

eggs and other ingredients according to the f but is characterized alway gredient. This characteristic is not merely be re sugar and parts thereof till thereof at some stage nominee product can also be used for frosting, cake s by the fruit ina flavor, but owing to the physical presence of the solids andresiduum of the evaporated juices amounts practically to an embodiment of the fruit in a su ar.

Sugar of variousiinds may be employed, or sugar'substitutes,

maple sugar, grape sugar, lucose, and others, the word sugar herein eing employed in a broad sense as including its substitutes. It is intended that the by suitable expression, in the appended caims, whatever features of atentable novelty exist in the invention disc osed.

I claim as my invention: 1. A composition comprising uit, in form suite is for domestic uses, consisting mainly of sugar in finely divided state, with which is combined a product derived from the fine rinding of fruit and so free from the particles thereof are, not guishable in the mixture.

' 2. A composition suitable for use in cookcry and having the general characteristics of sugar as prepared for domestic uses and con-.

taining finely ground fruit in uantity sufiicry and having the general characteristics of I sugar as prepared for domestic uses, comprisin the mixture of sugar with finely groun fruit particles: the said fruit particles bein derived from the grinding of previously ried fibers and pulpy parts of fruit and being so finely ground asto approximate the size of the sugar grains. I

4. A process of making a sugarcomposition including the drying of fruit until its natural juices have disappeared as juices, the fine grinding of the fibrous and pulpy of fruit lumps disappear,and the mixing during the process with a sufiicient excess of sugar to cause the whole to have the general characteristics of sugar.

5. A process of making a sition including the drying of natural juices have disappeared as juices, the mixing thereof with finely divided sugar at some stage during the process, and the sugar compofine grinding of the fruit while associatedwith the sugar.

:6. process of making a sugar com sition, including the partial drying of ruit until its natural juices have mostly disappeared as uices, the comm'inuting and mixthe composition t e flavor and distinctive characteristics such as confectioners :sugar, granulated sugar,

patent shall cover, I

a mixture of lumps an fibers that r readily distinfruit until its ing of it with sugar, the further drying of it in presence of sugar, and the fine grinding of the further dried comminuted material.

'7. A process of making a sugar composition, including the partial drying of fruit until its natural 'uices have mostly disappeared as juices, time comminuting and mixing of it with sugar, the further drying of it in presence of sugar, and the fine grlnding of the further dried comminuted material followed b the removing of small particles of fruit her.

8. A process of making a sugar composition, including the partial drying of fruit until its natural juices have mostly disappeared as juices, the comminuting of it with addition of water and mixing with sugar, the further drying of it in presence of sugar, and the fine grinding of the dried comminuted material.

Signed by me at Provincetown, Mass, this fourth day of August, 1916.

NATHANIEL C. FOWLER, JR.

itnesses:

WILLIAM S. BIRGIQR, ETHEL P. HUNTING. 

